Broken Hearts, Bitter Enemies
by TJ Sparkles
Summary: Sequel to Love is Pain. Maria finds the strength to leave John, but going it alone isn't quite what she expected. Can the sudden interest and friendship of Jeff Hardy help her to change her outlook on finding romance? Jeria vs Jaria, other pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: OK, so after reading so many wonderfully written Jeria stories on here (especially by unwrittenx3 and cherrycokerocks), I decided to see what I could do with the pairing. I've become quite a fan and I hope to write Jeria in the future…that is, of course, assuming that you guys like this. **

**A HUGE hug and my eternal thanks go out to And (cherrycokerocks) for helping me brainstorm, giving me ideas, and just generally giving me the encouragement to write this. I don't think I could have done it without her. Thanks, hon. **

* * *

"_Broken Hearts, Bitter Enemies"_

_Chapter 1_

"_I was willing to spend forever with you….."_

Those words haunted Maria as she made her way down the small cobblestone driveway, the clickety-click of her stilettos, mixed with the pounding of her heart, echoing in her ears as the redhead shoved her final suitcase into the back of the tiny taxicab. She paused for a slight moment, almost debating whether or not she wanted to go through with this decision, before finally seating herself in the backseat and slamming the door behind her. No turning back now.

Maria wasn't a quitter; this had nothing to do with quitting. But after John's confession the previous day, she just didn't know whether or not she could stay in the same room with him, let alone the same house. She felt like a fool for giving her heart to the man, only to end up finding that he didn't feel the same way and hadn't for a very long time.

But to cheat on her with Candice, the Diva that she'd entrusted with every personal secret, every embarrassing moment she'd encountered, _everything_, was the lowest thing that John could ever have done, in Maria's opinion. It stung. What made matters worse is that John hadn't even had the guts to admit to his indiscretion…she'd practically dragged it out of him.

Just as Maria was about to inform the taxi driver of her destination, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway filled her ears, catching her attention. She looked up, a bit surprised, and groaned inwardly when she realized who it was. Hadn't she made it perfectly clear to John that she _didn't _want to see him? It was hard enough having to pack up and leave the house that she'd called her sanctuary for so long, and humiliating because even though she didn't want to leave her house, she just could not stay in the same house where Candice had committed that horrible act with John, and she'd be damned if she slept in the bed where the two of them had had their liaison. The redhead cursed under her breath and quickly ran a hand through her hair. She didn't want to stay here any longer than she had to, but she also knew John, and he wouldn't let her leave until he'd said his piece. So, reluctantly, she stepped out of the cab and motioned to the driver that she'd just be a minute.

"Where are you going, Ria?" John asked, as he bounded over to where Maria was standing, her arms folded over her chest and her expression stony. He tried to capture her eyes with a questioning gaze, but his former girlfriend wouldn't look at him.

"I already told you, John, I can't stay here," she responded, still not meeting the Champ's eyes. "Please, John, don't try to stop me. You know how I feel….."

John nodded slowly, and, with a sigh, shifted his gaze downward also. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shuffled around a bit, trying to think of the perfect phrase to say, the right words to convince Maria not to go. Right now, though, he was coming up empty. Maria was nothing if not determined; once her mind was made up, there was no convincing her otherwise.

"Yeah," he replied awkwardly. Never in his worst nightmares had he imagined that this situation would ever occur, but it had, and now he was standing in front of the woman he'd loved with all his heart, trying to convince her not to go. As soon as the word passed his lips, he wanted to kick himself for even saying it. _You cheated on her for months with her best friend…you're gonna have to come up with something better than 'yeah', if you want her to stay..._

"I left you a note on the kitchen table," Maria said, interrupting John's thoughts. She bit her lip and looked at John for a brief second; trying to gauge the emotions hidden in those eyes she'd once loved to stare into. For once, she had absolutely no clue what John was feeling, but then again, why was it her concern? He'd cheated on her and broke her heart, so why should she care how he felt? "I told you that I'd be leaving, this shouldn't be a surprise."

"You don't have to do this, Ria," John said softly, as he stepped forward and reached for Maria's wrist. "Please, I told you I'm sorry…how many times do I have to apologize before you forgive me?"

Maria squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to fight back burning tears. She picked at her nails uncomfortably as John spoke. Why was he making this harder for her? Why couldn't he just let her get in the cab and leave? Maria was a strong-willed person and was usually very firm in her decisions, but when it came to John, it was an entirely different story. He had the power to melt all her anger away with just one look, one smile, and damn it, she hated it. Maria hated how she could never stand her ground when it came to John. But this time was different. She _was_ going to get in that cab, and she _wouldn't _be stopped.

"Look, I have to go," the Illinois native said sharply. She picked up a small overnight bag, which contained her makeup and a few extra essentials, opened the taxi door, and tossed it into the front seat. Without another word, she settled into the back seat and slammed the door behind her, leaving John still standing there with his mouth open in shock as the car sped away.

"Where to, miss?" the cab driver asked, as he adjusted his rearview mirror.

Maria bit her lip yet again. Mickie was staying at the hotel just down the road, and had told her that if she needed a place to crash, she had an extra bed free. Maria contemplated the idea and decided that it was really the only option she had. She couldn't spend another minute in that house, and although she really wasn't in the mood for 20 questions from Mickie, it was the better option.

"Um, the Doubletree Hotel on 54th," she replied, her voice a bit hesitant. The driver simply nodded, and the car began to slowly make its way further and further away from the small house where Maria had just been. Breathing a sigh of relief, she leaned her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. Part of her was fighting with her decision, telling her that she should go back. John loved her, his apology was sincere, and he wouldn't make the same mistake again, right?

"Damn it," she hissed. Now was not the time for her heart to cloud her judgment, but she couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, she should allow her heart to overrule her head and give John one final chance. This would be his final chance to show that he really loved her, and that the cheating had been a temporary act of insanity.

Before she even realized it, she was yelling at the driver to turn the car around, and now she was right back where she started. John's face had taken on an extremely surprised expression at first, but quickly changed to one of confidence. _He doesn't think I'm going to go through with it,_ she deduced. John had the cockiest look she'd ever seen on his face, like he knew she would come running back to him. He didn't think Maria had the courage to stand on her own two feet. _Time to prove him wrong. You don't need him._

The Chain Gang Soldier approached the car slowly, his walk confident. He knew that Maria would realize the severity of her decision and come back. As he stepped off the curb, the driver turned to Maria and asked,

"Well, miss, what's it gonna be? You staying or going?"

"Going," Maria replied, not missing a beat. "Definitely going. Drive on."

"You sure about that?" The driver glanced at John, who was only a few inches from the car. His steps were becoming quicker and quicker as he tried to reach the car before Maria made her decision. But after seeing that small glimmer of cockiness in John's eyes, Maria knew what she had to do. Maybe that was the whole problem; John had been able to get away with his indiscretions for far too long. Not anymore.

"Yes, go on," Maria insisted. The driver nodded, and sped up, leaving John in the dust behind them. Maria quickly sneaked a look out her window and was quite pleased to see the shock and the hurt on the face of the man she'd once loved. _Now he knows how it feels, _she said to herself, smiling.

Each new day brings new possibilities and a new beginning, and while Maria had once been afraid of a new beginning without John, she was now quite confident that she'd do just fine without him, and was ready to face the new day and its possibilities. She was ready to embrace independence.

* * *

**Wow, that turned out to be longer than I expected. Please take the time to review and let me know how you felt about this…it's kind of a new territory for me, LOL. I worked hard on it, and I really hope you enjoyed this. More drama will ensue in the following chapters, including a meeting with a certain Rainbow Haired Warrior :)**


	2. Anticipation and Confrontation

**A/N: Now that I'm finally finished with 7 Deadly Sins, I'll be concentrating on this a lot more. I don't anticipate this being terribly long, but even though it won't be very long, it **_will_**be filled with lots of juicy drama. Please continue to review, guys :) Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Hugs go to And for all of her support and patience.

* * *

  
**

_Chapter 2_

All eyes were on Maria as she entered the arena, or at least it _seemed _that way, anyway. Only two short months had passed since the split with John, and even though people had been quite shocked that the redhead had had the guts to just pack up and leave John—after all, he wasn't just any ordinary guy, he was _John Cena_—Maria was proud of herself. She'd never felt more free in her entire life, and as Mickie had pointed out, it allowed her more time to train, to improve her skills so that she could be taken seriously as a singles competitor. Maria was tired of being viewed as a backstage announcer who only got in the ring to show off her body to the millions of her adoring male fans. For the past year, Maria had been putting in grueling hours, taking bumps and trying out new moves, determined to prove all the doubters and their snarky little comments wrong.

The Chicago beauty smiled as she made her way down the hall, waving at the crew and camera people while she walked. She was a bit nervous about tonight's show, but not because it was the night of the much anticipated—and in some cases, most dreaded—2008 Draft. No, Maria was more apprehensive about seeing her former boyfriend and the Diva she'd once thought of as not only a best friend, but a sister. Maria just wanted to go out there, find out whether or not she was going to be drafted, and then get back to the locker room before Candice even had a chance to speak to her. Confrontation was not something Maria had the patience for tonight.

She was sure that John would show up at some point during the night, but Maria couldn't think about that right now. The only thing on her mind was the impending draft—in a way, Maria was excited about it, but at the same time, her stomach was churning with anticipation. Would she get to remain on RAW, which had been her home for so long, with the people she considered her family, or would she be forced to start over on SmackDown, a new and unfamiliar territory, but relatively less dramatic? Maria wasn't sure how she'd adjust. In fact, she didn't really know anyone on the show, except for Jeff.

A smile played against Maria's lips as she envisioned being on the same show as the self-proclaimed Legend Thriller. The two of them had been friends for about two years, and had grown even closer during her time as a backstage interviewer. When she'd finally mustered up the courage to enter the ring, Jeff had been right by her side, offering advice and helping her train and get in shape. When her relationship with John had began, though, she stopped talking to Jeff, and the seemingly unbreakable bond that they'd had had indeed been broken. It was quite sad, now that she thought about it, that she'd allowed a man to take control of her life the way John had. Maria made a mental note to talk to Jeff later, maybe after the show.

A hand ran through her hair, absent-mindedly, as Maria rounded the corner and opened the door of the Divas locker room. She sighed a little, setting her bag down on the smooth brown bench in front of her. The redhead pulled her I-Pod out of her small purse, hoping that maybe music would help calm her nerves a bit. She slipped the small headphones into her ear and closed her eyes, completely shutting out everything around her. Maria was so the soothing sounds of the classical music that she didn't even notice a body sitting down beside of her. A bit startled, she pulled the headphones out of her ear and, tucking the I-Pod into her purse, turned to the other person.

"Oh gosh, Candice. You scared me," the Illinois native explained, putting a hand on her chest. She tried to smile despite the situation, not because she had forgiven and forgotten, but because tonight was not the time to discuss the fact that there was a knife in her back, planted there by Candice. There would be time to talk about it later.

"Sorry, hun," Candice replied, as she pulled her dark hair into a loose ponytail. "I wanted to catch you alone before you went out there…do you think maybe we could talk for a minute?"

"Sure, what about?" Maria asked warily. She had a sneaking suspicion that Candice was going to bring up the breakup with John, and she didn't want to hear it. Maria knew Candice was going to spew some bullshit apology; that was just the way she was. Why they had even been friends was a total mystery to Maria. Yes, she'd been that spoiled, stuck up girl in the past, but she'd grown up a lot since then. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Candice. She was snobby and gossipy as ever, and in a way, Maria viewed the situation with John as a blessing in disguise. She now knew Candice's true colors.

Candice lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned closer to Maria as she spoke.

"I really think we need to talk about this John thing. I know you're still mad at me," she held up a finger to stop Maria from interrupting, "but really, this is just a big misunderstanding."

Maria rolled her eyes. _Yeah, right. How is sleeping with your best friend's boyfriend a misunderstanding? _However, she kept her mouth shut and let Candice continue.

"Bottom line, Ria…you have to know that this was not something that me or John expected to happen. It just did." Candice took Maria's hand and squeezed it tightly to emphasize her point. "I hope that you and I can put this behind us and go back to being best friends again."

Satisfied with herself and her apology, Candice stood up and, smiling brightly, bounced over to the mirror to check her makeup. Maria shook her head in disgust. What kind of apology was that?

"So, that's it?" she asked incredulously, still shaking her head. "You come in here and give me the lamest excuse for an apology that I've ever heard? Why don't you just admit that you didn't give a damn about hurting me... being a homewrecker didn't even cross your mind once." The tone of her voice was now laced with sadness. "I'm sorry; Candice, but I don't accept your apology. I can't." The redhead turned on her heel to leave, but was interrupted by the screeching voice of the Milwaukee native.

"Don't you act like Miss Innocent," Candice snapped, her normally bubbly demeanor fading as she spoke. "You act like I'm the only one who had a hand in what happened. Don't you think some of the blame lies with your boyfriend? After all, it's not _my _fault that he ended up in my bed." She paused for a moment, knowing that what she was about to say next would hurt Maria the most.

"Maybe if you knew how to please your man and didn't act like such a stuck-up prude, then maybe he wouldn't have found himself in my bed. And honey, he was more than content to stay there. The reason, the _only _reason he even came back to you is because he didn't want you to suspect anything." She smirked, proud with herself.

"I cannot believe you. Do you hear how heartless you sound?" Maria yelled, wishing that she could just shake the dark-haired Diva. "I've been your best friend for _years_, much longer than you've known John. I thought we were like sisters! How could you do this to me? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?"

The snobbish smirk had now disappeared completely from Candice's face, and in his place was fear. Maria knew that she shouldn't allow Candice to work her up this way, but she couldn't help it. After two months of trying to pretend like she was okay, after two months of enduring looks and whispers from the other Superstars, she was tired of it. Maria was tired of holding it all in and pretending like everything was okay when it clearly wasn't.

A finger poked Candice in the chest, hard, causing her to stumble back and look at Maria in surprise.

"Don't talk to me ever again," Maria hissed. "As a matter of fact, I want you to do something for me: lose my phone number, all of them. Forget that we were ever friends, and go back to being the bitch that I never thought you'd become. Bottom line, Candice?" she explained, repeating the phrase Candice had used earlier. "You are dead to me, and John's all yours. Enjoy my sloppy seconds."

Feeling relieved, Maria strolled out of the locker room, rather breezily. She didn't even bother to turn around to see the expression on Candice's face…she already could sense that the other Diva was fuming with anger, shock, and perhaps a little bit of hurt. _What goes around comes around, _the redhead thought. _You get what you put in, and people get what they deserve. _Her stomach now rumbling, Maria turned around and began making her way down the hall to catering. She crossed her fingers and silently hoped that her encounter with Candice would be the last of the drama for the night. After all, it was the night of the draft, and Maria was sure that there would be even more shake-ups to come. Whereas she had been nervous about being drafted to Smackdown initially, she now hoped that she was sent over to the "blue" show. A new start, a fresh beginning, with people that would gladly welcome her with open arms…it seemed like a win-win situation for her.

Unless, of course, John was drafted to SmackDown as well….

* * *

**I thought it would be better to split this chapter in two so that it wouldn't be so long. The actual draft is in the next chapter, as well as some Maria/Jeff interaction and a confrontation with John. Please review, guys :)**


End file.
